Chinese freighter under suspicion: data cable probably damaged off Taiwan
After several submarine cable failures in the Baltic Sea, Taiwan has now been hit. The island state suspects a freighter that has already left its waters.
(Image: JesperG/Shutterstock.com)
A Chinese cargo ship flying the flag of Cameroon is said to have damaged an internet cable off the coast of Taiwan over the weekend. This was reported by the Taiwan Times, which added that the coast guard had been unable to board the suspected ship due to poor weather conditions. Instead, the freighter is on its way to South Korea, where it is expected to reach the port city of Busan in the coming days. Taiwan's authorities have already asked South Korea for help with the investigation. The incident is reminiscent of several similar incidents in European waters in recent weeks.
China under suspicion
According to the Taiwan Times, the damaged submarine cable is part of the Trans-Pacific Express Cable System, which connects Taiwan with China, South Korea and the west coast of the USA. Immediately after the incident, emergency backup mechanisms were activated to reroute the data via other cables. All services were restored immediately, the provider concerned, Chunghwa Telecom, assured. The ship presumed to be responsible is a freighter with the name "Shunxing39". Although it flies the Cameroonian flag, it belongs to a Chinese company registered in Hong Kong.
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The incident that has now come to light in the waters north of Taiwan is reminiscent of several incidents in the Baltic Sea that have caused quite a stir in recent weeks. After a data cable between Finland and Germany and one between Sweden and Lithuania were allegedly damaged by a Chinese ship at the end of November, four submarine cables failed off the coast of Finland over the Christmas period. The ship suspected of being responsible was arrested and remains in the hands of the Finnish authorities. The damage is attributed to the Russian shadow fleet, which the country uses to circumvent sanctions on oil transportation, for example.
The damage to the submarine cable off Taiwan comes against the backdrop of a recent rise in tensions between the island state and the People's Republic of China. The latter regards Taiwan (or the Republic of China) as part of its own territory and is officially striving for "reunification". If the conflict escalates, there are also concerns in Taiwan that China could attack the communications infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the country is already working on alternatives to the Starlink satellite internet in order to avoid being cut off from the outside world in the event of a Chinese attack.
(mho)
